Amy Sherald has canceled her forthcoming solo exhibition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, citing concerns over censorship. The artist, who is best known for her 2018 portrait of Michelle Obama, said she learned that her 2024 painting Trans Forming Liberty—a depiction of a transgender woman posing as the Statue of Liberty—might be removed to avoid provoking President Donald Trump.
The show, “American Sublime,” was slated to open at the National Portrait Gallery on September 19th and would have marked the institution’s first solo presentation of a Black contemporary artist. Organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the traveling exhibition includes approximately 50 works, including Trans Forming Liberty. It is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through August 10th.
As reported by the New York Times, Sherald addressed her decision in a letter sent on Wednesday to Lonnie G. Bunch III, the secretary of the Smithsonian. “I entered into this collaboration in good faith, believing that the institution shared a commitment to presenting work that reflects the full, complex truth of American life,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, it has become clear that the conditions no longer support the integrity of the work as conceived.’’
The Smithsonian responded in a statement to the Times, saying that it “strives to foster a greater and shared understanding….Unfortunately, we could not come to an agreement with the artist. We remain appreciative and inspired by Ms. Sherald, her artwork, and commitment to portraiture.”
As reported by The Washington Post, White House stafferLindsey Halligan characterized the painting’s removal as a “principled and necessary step” in enacting the administration’s vision for national institutions. That vision has brought about numerous disruptions at publicly funded cultural institutions since President Trump took office earlier this year. In January, the Smithsonian shuttered its Office of Diversity following Trump’s executive order ending DEI initiatives in the federal government. In March, another executive order tasked Vice President J.D. Vance with overhauling the Smithsonian. Soon after, the president appointed himself as the chairman of the board for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
In May, Trump announced on social media that he had fired the National Portrait Gallery’s director, Kim Sajet, calling her “a strong supporter of DEI.” The Smithsonian responded with a statement asserting that it retained control of personnel decisions. Nevertheless, Sajet resigned weeks later.
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